More Information

Where to get food
Most local social service departments offer pantries for income-eligible families and senior citizens.
A number of church-run and civic-sponsored pantries serve people as needed.
Listings of Danbury-based pantries, with information on hours and where to bring donations, can be found at www.foodpantries.org.
The website www.homelessshelterdirectory.org also gives a listing of food pantries, soup kitchens and shelter facilities.

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In the greater Danbury region, food pantry volunteers are seeing a steady flow of customers from all walks of life who are finding it hard to make ends meet.

At the same time, a steady flow of donors is eager to reach out to their struggling neighbors.

The demand was evident even before Hurricane Sandy cut off the power, forcing already strapped families to dump the contents of their refrigerators.

Both the Danbury-based Daily Bread Pantry at St. James Episcopal Church and the New Hope Baptist Church pantry have seen a rise in demand over recent years, and are constantly accepting donations to assure their shelves are well-stocked.

Prior to Superstorm Sandy, Daily Bread Pantry president Sue Moran said the Danbury agency's stock was dwindling, but since then they have seen an upturn in donations ranging from money to buy supplies to boxes and bags of staples such as tuna, peanut butter and cereal.

At FAITH food pantry in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, co-chairwoman Nancy Taylor said volunteers have witnessed a steady, gradual rise in use over the years that does not seem linked to specific events, but rather ongoing economic struggles.

Unlike some social service programs where there are income guidelines related to food supplies, FAITH's only criteria is that families picking up a weekly supply of groceries have proof that they live in town, Taylor said.

Like other pantries, Taylor said, they see a mix of people, some who have been coming to the pantry for years and some for the first time in their lives.

Shelves fill up and empty out weekly; the pantry serves 150 to 200 families a month, Taylor said.

Always in demand are canned or nonperishable entrees, as well as canned tomatoes, pasta, canned fruit and toiletries that often do not fit into a tight budget. And they always have a plentiful supply of soup, she said.

"We're definitely seeing a higher need. More people have lost their jobs, some who haven't used us in years are now making use of the pantry," said Michael Greene, the director of care services at the agency. "A lot of people have seen their food stamps reduced, so they are relying on us to do the best we can to supplement their needs.''

The 10-year-old, self-shop service is specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs for those diagnosed with HIV or living with AIDS. Twice monthly, Greene said, the volunteers serve about 70 families, an increase of 10 percent to 15 percent from last year.

With the holidays about to arrive, Greene said, they have also seen an influx of referrals.

"This is a tough time for many food pantries trying to keep enough on the shelves,'' he said, noting they are routinely restocking shelves.

Taylor at the Newtown food pantry said she is humbled by the generosity she witnesses, particularly the $10 weekly checks mailed in by those who simply want to assure no one goes hungry.

"Whatever is given to us we give to people,'' said Moran at the Danbury pantry. "It's wonderful the way it works because everybody (in the community) cares about everybody.''